STAFFORD, Va. (WUSA9) -- When a bomb blew up right underneath Steve Devries, there was a possibility that he may never walk again if he did not undergo surgery.

That Improvised Explosive Device (IED) knocked out five spinal discs and left Devries with severe nerve damage and Traumatic Brain Injury. But, that didn't stop him from taking on golf.

"I'd rather be active and enjoy my life than just sit around and be depressed all day," said Devries.

Chris Bowers also let's nothing bring him down. He lost his leg while fighting in Iraq. But today he plays frequently in tournaments all across the country.

Both play golf four to five times a week and are fairly new to the sport. Bowers took up the game two years ago and will now be leading a 13-man team at the Simpson Cup in England this August. Devries says it's an everyday battle with pain but he learns to work around the challenging turns he has to make while playing.

Bowers who played football, never thought he would be playing golf. Now, he is hooked on the game and feels lucky to play it.

"For us just being able to play the game is enough," he says. "Just like anybody else who has been through something, you just want to move on, you don't want to forget, you just want to move on and say this is not going to be the defining factor of my life."

For him, this game is all about 'mind over matter'.

That is also what Steve Ogeltree mentors to other wounded warriors.

Ogeltree suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He served in the Army for 21 years. His most damaging deployment was to Somalia. When doctors asked him what would help him get better and get his mind off things? He thought of golf.

"Golf is the first thing that came to mind when the doctors asked me," he recalls. The golf course gives Ogeltree peace and serenity. It is a place where he can relax and heal. It is also a place where he is challenged and remains active. He says you can never forget what happened but you can move on.

"You know how a kid first learns how to ride a bike? And then they just want to do it every day and every day, that's what golf would do to a wounded warrior," he said.

At a tournament at Augustine Golf Club in Virginia, Bowers doesn't make a satisfactory score at one of the holes but he moves right along.